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F1 >> MotoGP >> WRC
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Issue No 137 MONDAY OCTOBER 10, 2011
EVERY MONDAY AROUND THE MOTORSPORT WORLD
How far can Seb go?
and CO
UNTING!
MOTOGP: Suzuki deja-vu?
WRC: Multiple climax

3
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seo|o baoo eecot|ves |o soot.
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esoecteo ooess|ooa|s |o soots sooosos||o
o baoos, sooosos, aovet|ses, soots ||ts
|o|oes aoo aeoc|es.
A SLLLCT|ON ATTLNDLLS |NCLUDL:
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Sooosoeo b
Is Vijay selling the team, or not?
Plus all the latest news from Moto GP and WRC
CLick on any advertisement for more details
GPWEEK NEWS >>
Moto GP: Suzuki , deja-vu? >>
F1: X2 >>
ISSUE 137 October 10, 2011
>>
Go to
>> Go to
>>
Go to
>>
No surprise, really, but Seb Vettel is now the youngest
double world champ in F1 history
With Suzuki on the verge of quitting MotoGP, could
history repeat?
WRC: Multiple Climax >> >> Go to
The various world rally championships are headed for some
big deciders over the next four weeks
FULLY GREEN
Informing motorsport
fans world-wide
and not a
single tree
destroyed
to do
it!
EDITOR: ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS
adam@hay-nicholls.com
Assistant Editors
Naoise Holohan, Kate Walker
MotoGP Editor: Michael Scott
michael@gpweek.com
Rally Editor: Martin Holmes
martin@gpweek.com
Production Artist (Australia):
Cedric Dufour,
Asstistant: Callum Branagan
Photography
Sutton Motorsport Images
www.sutton-images.com
Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com
Publisher
Chris Lambden
publisher@gpweek.com
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7
THE Suzuka paddock was abuzz this weekend
with the news that Force India was on the
market.
The news, which was widely reported in the
Indian media, claimed that Vijay Mallya was in
the process of selling his shares in the team to
Indian businessman Subrata Roy.
Roy is the founder of Sahara India Pariwar,
a business conglomerate with interests in the
financial services sector, sports promotion, print
and broadcast media, and health care, among
many others.
But a statement from Vijay Mallya via the Force
India team denied that the outfit was up for sale.
I was shocked to read a media report that I
am selling the Force India Formula One team,
the statement read.
This is completely untrue and without any
basis whatsoever.
I take great pride in having been able to
put an Indian team on the Formula One World
Championship grid and have worked very
hard to greatly improve the performance
of the team. Now that India is finally on the
Formula One World Championship calendar,
my commitment to Force India becomes even
stronger. As Team Principal, I will continue to
run the team and I have no plans whatsoever
to exit.
After the statement was published, GPWEEK
was contacted by a local source who claimed
that the team had already been sold, with
official change of ownership due to take place
in 2013.
Force India up for sale
yes or no?

F1 NEWS
>>
JAPANESE Grand Prix winner Jenson
Button had more than one reason to
celebrate this weekend.
In addition to taking his first race win
in the country he calls his second home,
Button extended his McLaren contract in
a multi-year deal worth a rumoured 50
million (US$77m).
Ive never felt more at home at a team
than I do at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,
Button said.
Ive won four of the greatest races of my
life here [Five now! Ed], Im currently lying
second in the drivers world championship,
and I feel that Im driving better than ever.
You can only achieve that with the right
level of support and I truly believe that
the passion and determination to win are
stronger here at McLaren than anywhere
else. As a grand prix driver, those are
incredibly powerful feelings to share and
be part of, and theyve only reinforced my
desire to commit my long-term future to
this team.
Buttons decision to re-sign with
McLaren despite rumours suggesting a
move to Ferrari might have been on the
cards in the near future is a sign of his faith
in the team.
Ive made no secret of my ambition
to continue winning races and world
championships, Button continued, and I
fully believe this is the place where I can
achieve those aims.
Over the course of the weekend Button
was pressed for further details on his new
McLaren contract, but the British driver
refused to be drawn.
Speaking in the Thursday drivers press
conference, Button said:
All I can say is that I am very happy. I
think this is a great opportunity over the
next couple of years to really work closely
with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.
We are so close to fighting with Red
Bull, but yet so far. I think it is good to
have the continuity going forward for the
next couple of years. It is going to help us
take the fight to them next season, I hope.
Thats what we are working towards. Its
been a good couple of weeks. I have been
enjoying racing and it is nice to finally sign
on the dotted line and get a deal in place
for the near future.
McLaren
extends
Buttons
contract

nNewly-crowned double world champion

Sebastian Vettel added to his fanbase in the
post-race press conference with a few pithy
comments about fellow German multiple
champion Michael Schumacher. Embarrassed
by a series of fawning questions asking what it
was like to be the youngest double champion
in Formula One history, Vettel reminded the
media that his countryman was the youngest
seven-time champion in the sports history.
nThe paddock was gripped with Bernie fever
this weekend, thanks to some imaginative
marketing from the Suzuka souvenir stalls.
Ecclestone authorised the production of
Bernie puppets part of a series that included
puppets of Kamui Kobayashi, Jenson Button,
Michael Schumacher, and Takuma Sato that
were sold to raise funds for tsunami charities.
The Bernie puppets were a smash hit with
teams and media alike. The most common use?
Putting on an Ecclestone voice and telling all
and sundry theyd just been fired.
nOn the lighter side of the F1 news
spectrum, Sauber driver Sergio Perez appears
to be going through something of a gender
identity crisis, if his Suzuka paddock behaviour
is anything to go by. The Mexican driver was
found in the ladies loos in the paddock on
more than one occasion, to the extent that
security guards started following him in so they
could point him in the direction of the mens
loos.
Short
Straights
MARK Webber has denied indicating
that the world championship has
passed him by.
In the aftermath of the Singapore
Grand Prix two weeks ago, Yahoo!
Eurosport secured an exclusive
interview with Mark Webber. The
interview went viral, thanks to a quote
attributed to Webber that saw the
Australian admit hed seen his last
chance at the drivers title pass him by.
Yes, of course, I do think that last
year was my last chance at being world
champion, Webber was quoted as
saying.
But Ive pushed very, very hard and
done many, many things that other
people could not have achieved so Im
very proud of what I did.
But the Red Bull driver now claims he
said nothing of the sort.
I didnt say that definitely 100 per
cent that 2010 was my last chance
ever, Webber said in the Suzuka
paddock this weekend.
Last year was exceptional. Its not
every year you fight for a title. Its back
to normal at the moment, but I want to
try to get it to abnormal for the future.
Winning is a beautiful feeling, but
obviously one guy has done too much
of it this year, which hasnt been great
for all of us.
This year the car has been very
different, and Sebastian has done a
phenomenal job. Next year we have
some changes coming nothing
massive but theres some changes,
and I have to go into it with positive
thoughts.
It wont be pretty for all of us if its the
same as this year, but we have to be
optimistic, Webber concluded.
Webber not giving
up on WDC dreams
10
F1 NEWS
>>
Webber not giving
up on WDC dreams
A ruling this week by the European
Court of Justice could reduce the
cost of sports satellite subscription
services for European residents.
The ECJ declared that football fans
wishing to buy foreign decoder cards
for their set-top boxes in an attempt
to get the best possible price for
their sports coverage were not in
contravention of the law.
According to the ECJ, any attempt
to prevent the import, sale or use
of foreign decoder cards is contrary
to the freedom to provide services
and cannot be justified either in
light of the objective of protecting
intellectual property rights or by the
objective of encouraging the public
to attend football stadiums.
While the judgement was triggered
by a dispute about Premier League
football matches, the implications are
more widespread and could impact
everything from Formula One to
imports of Hollywood movies.
In addition to the ruling on pricing,
the European court questioned
territorial restrictions on broadcasts
within the European Union.
Payment by the television stations
of a premium in order to ensure
themselves absolute territorial
exclusivity goes beyond what is
necessary to ensure the right holders
appropriate remuneration, the ECJ
ruling read.
Such a practice may result in
artificial price differences between
the partitioned national markets.
Such partitioning and such an
artificial price difference are
irreconcilable with the fundamental
aim of the treaty, which is completion
of the internal market.
It remains to be seen just what
impact this ruling will have on
Formula One, but there is little doubt
that the sports television rights are
sold at a premium to ensure territorial
exclusivity, and that the customers
are the same partitioned national
markets referred to by the ECJ.
EU ruling to impact
European sports
broadcasting
For your daily dose
of Formula 1 news ...
11
Pirelli confrms remaining
2011 tyre choices
IN the run-up to this weekends Japanese Grand Prix at
Suzuka, F1 tyre suppliers Pirelli announced their choice of tyre
compounds for the final three races of the 2011 season.
Initial impressions suggest that the Indian asphalt is quite
abrasive with high ambient temperatures expected, Pirelli said in
a statement.
The hardest tyre in Pirellis P Zero Formula One range is
designed to cope with these extreme conditions, while the P Zero
Yellow soft tyre guarantees the best possible performance.
Contrary to convention, the soft tyre has been nominated as
the prime in India with the hard tyre as the option. This allows the
teams to run more sets of the quicker tyres during free practice.
Abu Dhabis Yas Marina requires a different set of tyre
characteristics.
The desert track, which was new to the F1 calendar in 2009, was
the scene of Pirellis pre-season wet night tests, and the Italian
tyre manufacturer has direct experience of Yas Marina that it lacks
at the two other circuits due to be raced on this season.
Interagos, Pirelli say, contains a wide range of speeds and
corners, once more making the adaptable medium and soft tyres
the ideal choice.
India is a big unknown for all the teams and ourselves, so we
will also be taking the most durable hard tyre in order to cover
every base, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said.
Abu Dhabi is much more familiar territory for us, where we
know that the medium and the soft tyre will suit the circuit well.
As for Interlagos, were aiming to end the season on a high. The
combination of medium and soft rubber has given us some close
racing in the past, lots of overtaking and provided some good
opportunities for interesting pit stop strategies.
Construction work restarts in Austin
FOLLOWING several weeks of slowdown
at the Circuit of the Americas,
construction work has resumed in
earnest at the future site of the U.S.
Grand Prix.
According to the Austin-American
Statesman, which has been conducting
regular drive-bys of the circuit in an
attempt to ascertain progress, Thursday
saw lots of trucks coming and going,
bringing in the fill dirt required to stabilize
the base of the 3.4-mile track.
Organisers of the Austin Grand Prix have
come under fire in recent weeks following
allegations that the project was running
out of money, leading to a drop in staff
numbers at the circuit.
In August, the Statesman published
a blog piece that read: We here at the
American-Statesman have received several
anonymous phone calls in recent days
from people who asserted that work had
ceased at Circuit of the Americas, the
new purpose-built Formula 1 track being
constructed southeast of Austin.
One of the callers even said that the
projects general contractor, Austin
Commercial, had called a meeting of
subcontractors last week and instructed
them to go home for a couple of weeks;
there was no money to pay them.
But the project organisers have long
said that changes to the planned schedule
of works have been as a result of speedy
progress, not declining funds.
Circuit construction manager Max
Chapman told the Statesman: We just
started back today.
It was going great guns for a while. For
the last couple weeks, until we got our
bookwork done, it was a trickle, and it
slowed almost to a stop the last three or
four days.
There is expected to be a further
increase in work over the next few weeks,
when construction of site buildings is
scheduled to get underway.
1
F1 NEWS
>>
FOLLOWING Lewis Hamiltons
challenging weekend in
Singapore, father and former
manager Anthony Hamilton
criticised his sons new
management team.
His management need to
do more, Hamilton Sr. was
quoted as saying after the
Singapore Grand Prix.
Look up the paddock. Every
driver thats got a manager,
the manager is here and in the
drivers life.
The father and son pair
were seen as Formula Ones
strongest driver-manager
pairing as they charged to
Hamiltons 2008 championship.
But the McLaren driver
dispensed with his fathers
services before the 2010 F1
season opened in Bahrain, and
was without a manager until
earlier this year.
When he did sign new
management, Hamilton
elected to seek representation
with Simon Fullers XIX, a
celebrity brand management
agency with little experience
of the rarefied environment of
Formula One.
XIX have been notable by
their absence at a number
of 2011 grands prix, and
the general consensus in
the paddock is that many of
Hamiltons current troubles
would never have raised their
heads if only the British driver
had a more experienced sports
management team in place.
But Anthony Hamilton
has since changed his tune,
and retracted his criticism
in an interview with British
newspaper The Independent.
I spoke with Lewis during
the week after the race. He told
me that hes happy with the
job that his management and
Simon Fuller are doing and
as long as Lewis is happy, then
Im happy, Hamilton Sr. told
The Independent.
Anthony Hamilton retracts
Lewis management criticism
13
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At this late stage of the season, it may
seem difcult to fnd new technical stuf
adopted on the cars, as consequence of
an ongoing development process.
That is only partially true, because, even if
the world championship now has a winner,
with four races to go, it is important to test
new components that may be considered
as a preview of what will be seen on next
years cars. We already expressed this
concept in our Singapore analysis, and this
time we can say that at least two top teams,
notably Ferrari and McLaren, brought
to Suzuka, changes more fnalized to a
future application than to a current one
although in McLarens case this change was
actually used in the race, and will be kept
for the remainder of this season.
Notably we are talking of a revised
version of their DRS system (right), that
features its fourth evolution since the start
of the season. As McLarens Paddy Lowe
said during the Fridays press conference,
this season was the frst for DRS, so all the
teams had to learn how to work with it and,
because this device will be allowed also
in 2012, it is certainly an area where can
be valuable for the teams to understand
how to further develop its potential. Also
needing consideration is the fact that
the current difuser confguration will be
changed as a consequence of the blown
difusers ban.
We must not forget that in 2010 McLaren
was the frst to introduce and develop the
F-duct system, something that with a more
complex activation method, acted as a sort
of primordial DRS. ie this area was already,
in the recent past, something that McLaren
envisaged as important to understand and
study to exploit its full potential.
Ferrari is producing an enormous efort
at this stage of the season. The technical
department in fact has produced multiple
versions of their difuser area, included the
one adopted in Singapore and here on
Friday they tried a newer one, that actually
didnt work as it was expected, so was
then stripped of for qualifying and the
race.
What is important to understand is that
the aforementioned solution was adopted
not just for better performance here, but
also to verify and understand the blown
difuser concept, to have a solid benchmark
while introducing other changes that will
be part of the next years project.
Continuing on this route of using the
remainder of the season as test bench,
Ferrari will introduce in Korea a deeply
revised front wing (above) that very likely
will be the frst version of the one that will
be ftted on the 2012 car. Here they brought
back a front wing featuring a double main
fap after three races usingf one featuring a
single element. The wing adopted in Japan,
was notably, an evolution of the one tested
in Budapest.
Technical Update: Japanese GP
New developments appearing on the cars from here on are squarely aimed at 2012, as GPWEEK
Technical Editor Paolo Filisetti explains
14
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personalisation, more data, stats and camera
angles than anywhere else. Our classic version is
still available for weekend rentals.
Experience Formula 1
TM
like never before.
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F1.FanVision.com
There have been big changes at Kangaroo TV.
YOUR RACE, YOUR WAY
Get the next generation in fan enhancement.
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15
CAREER-long Honda rider Andrea
Dovizioso has spurned his employers
offer of a factory/satellite machine
for next year, and changed brands to
Yamaha.
The 25-year-old Italian has admitted
he is shortly to sign the one-year
contract with Tech 3 Yamaha.
Dovi turned his back on an offer of
a factory-spec RC213V within the LCR
team, which in theory would have
put him on equal footing with career-
long rival Marco Simoncelli. Instead
he will take his chances in Yamahas
only satellite team, hoping that some
favour might come his way, if his
results deserve it.
The decision came after uncertainty
at Motegi, with respective team
managers on tenterhooks. LCR owner
Lucio Cecchinello told GPWEEK he
was in telephone contact with Dovis
manager, and seemed more confident
that Tech 3 team owner Herv
Poncharal as the weekend progressed.
Poncharal was also courting
Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista, and told
GPWEEK:
It would be a good move for
Dovizioso. His chances of a factory
bike with Honda are finished. Next
years new 1000cc Yamaha, the satellite
and factory bikes will be very similar. If
he can beat the factory riders, he may
have a chance of a factory-bike future
with Yamaha.
An official announcement
confirming the move is expected
today (Monday).
Dovizioso has been a Honda rider
throughout his GP career, which
started in the 125 class in 2002. He
won the title in 2004, moved to 250s
and was twice runner up before
switching to MotoGP in 2008. In spite
of a win in Britain last year, his step-by-
step progress has been overshadowed
by Stoner and Pedrosa. With Simoncelli
the new future favourite he has slid
further down the pecking order. His
switch to HRCs major rival is a clear
rebuff to the factory.
Dovi switches sides to Yamaha
A HAIRLINE fracture to his left little-
finger proved disproportionately
costly to Rossis troubled campaign
to turn his Ducati into a race winner
when the multiple champion was
forced to miss his last chance this
season to test new and different
chassis designs.
Although track-side X-rays were
clear, continued pain and swelling
sent Rossi to Italian doctors on his
return from Motegi, and additional
X-rays detected the hairline fracture
in ossification following an earlier
fracture in 1995.
He would be fit for the Australian
GP, said Ducatis statement, but it
did rule him out of that Thursdays
scheduled test of next years GP12
machine.
Nick Hayden, home in Kentucky
from Japan for 18 hours, had to
jump straight onto another aircraft
to fly to Spain to stand in for his
team-mate.
Hayden was able to dodge
questions as to what combination
he had ridden, travelling from Spain
via Bangkok, bound for Australia.
Asked for details on his Twitter
account, Hayden wrote:
I plead the 5th (Amendment) ... it
all went smooth.
Crucially this was the eighth of
eight days allowed for MotoGP riders
to test their new 1000cc machines
for next year, and thus Rossis last
chance until after Valencia not only
to test his 2012 prototype, but also
to test alternative chassis solutions.
Ducati is known to have
commissioned a full aluminium twin-
beam chassis from Englands FTR
specialists, and Rossi is suspected to
have already tested it at Jerez at the
last outing.
Rossis fnger scuppers last-chance Ducati test
Spare-part rider spurns Hondas sop
16
CASEY Stoner goes home to Australia with high hopes of a fifth
Phillip Island win in a row. But his chances of wrapping up the
title with that win are less certain.
Third at Motegi after running off the track cost him nine
points, and extended rival Jorge Lorenzos chances mathematical
chances by one more race. Even if Lorenzo is only third in
Australia, Stoners margin will be one point shy of the 50 needed.
But his home GP history points to a dominant performance,
albeit all on the Ducati:
Its one of my all-time favourite circuits, he said. In fact he has
no extra experience there over his GP rivals, having left Australia
for Europe because he was too young to get a road-racing licence.
The Repsol Honda rider has already broken MotoGP-class
records with 14 consecutive podium finishes. With eight wins this
season and three races remaining, he could also equal Rossis 11
wins per season, though Mick Doohans 12 remains out of reach.
It would take something (as Lorenzo puts it) very strange for
the premier-class title not to fall to Stoner, even if not at home in
Australia, on the day he turns 26.
Honours remain in the balance in the other classes especially
Moto2, where the rampant Marc Marquez took a lead of just one
point over early runaway favourite Stefan Bradl. The German has
not won a race in the last eight; while Marquez has taken six of his
seven wins in the same time. The next-closest, Andrea Iannone, is
a full 78 points adrift, with only 75 on the table.
Its not as close but still marginal in 125s. Nico Terol leads Johan
Zarco by 31 points, but even if Terol wins and Zarco does not
finish, he will be five points shy of the 50 he needs. By contrast,
Zarco has been gaining strength, and a single non-finish by Terol
would put the final result in doubt until the final race.
Moto GP news
>>
ANDREA Doviziosos turnabout leaves
a vacant spot in the LCR team. Alvaro
Bautista and former teamster Randy
de Puniet are still on the list, but an
intriguing third-man scenario has
arisen with the possibility that come-
back racer John Hopkins might take the
slot.
Former Suzuki factory rider Hopkins
is well into a come-back year after his
career slumped with a series of bad
injuries and personal problems.
Riding a Suzuki in the high-level British
Superbike series, Hopkins will make a
third wild card appearance on the Rizla
Suzuki at Malaysia. But hopes of rejoining
the factory team are clouded with
uncertainty, with Suzuki yet to confirm or
deny their participation in 2012.
Yesterday, Hopkins failed by inches to
claim the BSB title at Brands Hatch in a
battle that went to the last corner.
The only question mark is about the
level of the bike. While HRC had offered a
factory-spec bike to LCR, this was linked
with Dovizioso. Whichever of the three
riders takes the berth, it is unlikely to be
on a factory-level machine.
Hell-and-Back Hopkins
is Hondas new target
Musical saddles Part two
Rossis fnger scuppers last-chance Ducati test
Stoner chases fve-in-a-row at home
Title number two may have to wait
17
HECTOR Barberas battering second-
lap crash at Motegi has ruled the
Spanish Mapfre Ducati rider out of the
Australian and Malaysian GPs over the
next two weekends.
But his misfortune has opened the
door again for surprise Motegi starter, 28-
year-old Australian Damian Cudlin, who
will take over Barberas Desmosedici
GP11 for the two flyaway races.
Barbera broke his right collarbone,
and flew home to Spain for surgery by
racings current best-known fixer Dr
Xavier Mir in Barcelona. With the bone
broken in four places, plates and screws
were inserted, and the 24-year-old was
ruled out of the race.
Endurance racer Cudlin substituted
in Japan for the injured Loris
Capirossi, but the Pramac
Ducati rider is due back
for the Australian GP,
after recuperating
from shoulder injuries
suffered at Aragon.
He was the last minute
choice, but while he
crashed out of the race he
acquitted himself well enough
to be offered the ride in the Spanish
Aspar team.
Its another fabulous chance, said
Cudlin. His ride at Motegi, first time at
the track, had been a real shock, he said.
Itll be great to ride around Phillip Island.
At least I know my way round pretty well.
Barbera battered but Cudlin and Capi come back
to access a HUGE
global audience
ADVERTISE in GPWEEK
HIGH
SIDES

nAmerican AMA Superbike
champion Josh Hayes is to get a
special reward, arranged by Yamaha
US an outing on a MotoGP bike, at
post-season tests at Valencia. Hayes
will ride the Tech 3 satellite machine,
but only the obsolete 800cc version
while the regulars test the new 1000s.
nTalking of rewards, they will go
both ways in the case of new World
Superbike Champion Carlos Checa
(pictured below). The former Ducati
(and Honda and Yamaha) MotoGP
rider is to test the GP12 being
developed for Rossi this year. Checas
input could be a valuable extra boost
to the beleaguered factory.
nFausto Gresinis plans to build
an Aprilia-powered CRT bike for next
year have been scotched by Honda,
which will supply him with a factory-
spec machine for Simoncelli.
nFormer 125 champion Julian
Simon will miss another race in
his ill-starred Moto2 career, as he
recuperates from surgery to his
broken leg. His place on the Mapfre
Aspar Suter will go to yet another
substitute Spanish national rider
Ivan Moreno.
nAmbitious MZ owner Martin
Wimmer was planning a Moto3
engine, which was already under
development. Unfortunately rules
restricting the 250 singles to just one
intake put an end to the project it
had the four valves radially disposed,
and each inlet required its own
injector body.
FINAL regulations for next years all-
new Moto3 class 250 four-strokes
consigning 125 two-strokes to history
were agreed at Motegi last weekend, and
announced during the following week.
While there are no basic changes, final
wording puts more hard numbers on costs,
and introduces a Claiming Rule to enforce
those costs.
But the new rule, giving the right to
claim a rival engine after a race, has yet to
have details finalised, described as to be
announced on the official FIM document.
As already known, the single-cylinder
engines, limited to 14,000 rpm and 81mm
maximum bore, will run a control ECU
supplied by DellOrto. Variable induction
tracts, exhausts or valve timing are
banned.
The rules define the engine as the
complete engine including intake
system (throttle body, injectors), and one
complete transmission. Maximum price
for this unit is 12,000 Euros (US$16k), and
the Claiming Rule puts the same value on
a claim.
Tuning kits are allowed, but only if they
cost the same as the parts they replace.
Furthermore, engine suppliers must be
prepared to furnish at least 15 competitors
if so required, and must supply a spare-
parts list with prices, the total of which
may not be higher than that of a complete
engine.
Once gearing is selected (maximum
two choices per gear) prior to the start
of the season, there is little left for teams
to do, beyond blue-printing and port-
profiling or polishing. A rider is limited to
eight engines per season, sealed as with
MotoGP to allow access only for valve
clearance adjustment.
Moto3: fnal regs announced
Cost-control paramount for new four-stroke starter class
1
Barbera battered but Cudlin and Capi come back
Simoncelli has big day in 1000 debut
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Issue No. 146 March 16 -22 2010
WHINCUP
IN A
FORMULA 1
CAR AT
ALBERT PARK REIGNING CHAMPS SET FOR F1/V8 CAR SWAP NEXT WEEK FULL DETAILS INSIDE!
POWER
PLAY!
Aussies fight it out
in IndyCar opener
and Will wins!
EXCLUSIVE!
Moto GP news
>>
EARLY-season bad boy Marco
Simoncellis position as Hondas
latest blue-eyed boy was
underlined after Motegi when he
was the first non-factory rider to
test next years 1000cc RC213V
the day after the GP.
So far only Stoner and Pedrosa
have ridden the bike, with their
team-mate Dovizioso kept out of
the loop.
The big day has finally arrived,
the jubilant giant said, after
turning 50 laps of the GP circuit,
more than double race distance,
on the all-black new Honda.
Lap times were not disclosed,
beyond that they were similar
to those he had set during race
weekend on the 800.
The rider enjoyed every minute
of his first acquaintance with the
bike he will race next year, again
in the San Carlo colours of the
Gresini team. It was a fantastic
experience, he said.
I did 50 laps, and I felt confident
on the bike immediately, setting
times like those with the RC212V.
The bike is as fun to ride as I
expected. It even wheelies in fifth
and sixth gear.
Simoncelli hopes the
larger engine will reduce the
disadvantage of his size and
weight (officially 76 kg and 183
cm to Pedrosas 51/160). I hope
with more power and more
torque the heavy rider can feel
less the difference from the
smallest, he said.
After the outing HRC engineers
debriefed the Italian, who added:
I even gave some suggestions
that I hope will help with
development.
It started hee Indianapolis as
Barbera parts company with the
Mapfre Ducati
1
The 2011 World Champion gives his frst words after making history in Suzuka.
5 MINUTES WITH ...
SEBASTIAN VETTEL
You came to Japan needing one point to
seal the title, and youve done it with a
podium.
We had a fantastic year. The good
thing is it is not over yet. To win the
championship here is fantastic. There are
so many things you want to say at this
moment but its hard to remember all of
them.
I am just so thankful to everyone in the
team. We have got so many people here
at the track but also at Milton Keynes
working day in day out.
There are so many people it is hard to
name them all to thank, but I think one
person that really stands out this year is
the person I spend most of my time with
during the year. Its my trainer Tommi
Parmakoski. Also, regards to his family. I
think back in Finland they have a great
son with a great heart. He was the one not
allowing me at any stage this year to lose
the grip, start to fly, or think about things
that are not in our control. It is down to
people like Tommi and other individuals
every single one is pushing more than
100 percent to do his job and keeps us
on the right track. There is no secret. It is
step-by-step.
Was your approach to this race any
different to normal, given what was
riding on it? This was one of your more
difficult races; you saw two drivers come
out ahead of you after pit stops.
No, which I didnt enjoy. I think we were
a little bit too weak today on the option
tyre, against those two guys at the end of
the stints.
It was a fun race though, and especially
seeing as we were closing in on Jenson, I
thought here you go, now you see how
it feels when the guys are catching up
at the end of the race. Its not the most
comfortable feeling. But obviously he had
quite a bit in hand and he was able to react
three laps to the end.
I think this race has been a little bit the
story of the year, even though sometimes
the results look pretty clear. You see that in
the races the cars are pretty close to each
other. Ferrari played a major role today
with Fernando, they looked much better
than what people expected. Obviously
I would have loved to sit in the middle
which, to answer your question, was
the target going into the race. I wasnt
targeting one point. If we targeted one
point, I think the race would have been
a bit different, but we targeted to do our
optimum, which in a way today was third
place, and thats what we got.
Could you describe your manoeuvre
at the start of the race? Jenson has
complained that it was unfair.
I just spoke to him. He expressed his
feelings. Initially I wasnt sure where he
was I didnt really see him. I thought he
was either on the right or he was far away
on the left. I saw Lewis and I thought I had
a good start and kept moving to the right,
looking for him. By the time I saw him, I
realised that maybe I was a little bit too far
to the right and then he was backing off.
How do you feel now? Last year was
a bit of a surprise, does today feel
different?
I think every race is different. I wouldnt
say last year was a surprise. Thats what
we were fighting for and even if the
odds werent looking too good, we kept
believing.
Even the year before I remember very,
very well the moment in Brazil, probably
as well as Jenson does. Its not a nice
feeling, knowing that you lose the title, so
but its always these important moments
that you remember, the good and the
bad and in particular the bad because I
think you are able to learn so much from
the times that you are being beaten in a
way.
I think all year we tried very, very hard
to keep our feet on the ground and
always tried to focus on the next step, on
the next race which, I think, in the end, if
there was any, was one of the secrets.
Last year, after the chequered flag it
was all over, there was a long period of
time when you werent in the car again
etc, so its a bit different this year, and it
makes it even more special in a way. So
Im very much looking forward to the
rest of the season. It does take some time
to understand and I think those quiet
moments that I will have, at some point,
either tonight, tomorrow or the next
week or weeks, for myself, but also with
people who are very close to me, to take
time and let things sink in a little bit.
Do you think in some ways this year was
easier for you than last year?
I think that its very likely for people to
draw the wrong conclusion, to say that
we had a very easy run this year. Things
like this, they happen for a reason; I
strongly believe that, not because things
were easy for us.
We had a very, very good car, no doubt,
but we had an even stronger team, and
as I said, a couple of times already, I think
the car this year was less dominant than
the car last year. Last year we had so
many races where sometimes you may
say we were unlucky but we made stupid
mistakes as well. We did things which cost
us a lot of time and cost us a lot of points
in the end. A championship is not one
race, its a lot of races pulled together and
I think thats where the difference came
from this year.
Obviously, after a very good start to the
season, if you are on a good run, and you
have this certain momentum and youre
able to keep that momentum, by not
allowing yourself to start to fly or think
too far ahead, really just stay present and
just stay at that moment and focus race
by race, and not thinking anything else.
So all in all, I think there was a lot to
learn again this year, and hopefully that
made us stronger for the remainder of
the season, in which I think the approach
will be very similar. Obviously a lot of the
pressure has fallen away but nonetheless,
there is a lot of pressure on us, because
naturally we want to win, we want to
beat those guys. Its about using the
opportunities you have, rather than
seeing what could go wrong.
0
>> F1 CHAT
>>
21

Email us
Something to say?
Email us at
mail@gpweek.com
Less whining, more driving
Felipe Massa needs to stop beating up on
Lewis Hamilton and concentrate on why he
cant match Fernando Alonsos results in a
similar car.
This tactic is nothing more than an
extremely transparent attempt to divert
attention away from his own poor
performance. Should he be unfortunate
enough to lose his drive at Ferrari in the future
he has no one but himself to blame.
Stop whining & start driving.
Glyn M Ruck, Cape Town, RSA
gmruck@lantic.net
Late starter
One thing that went unnoticed in Japan today
was that Mark Webber finally appeared to
have a decent start!
Since Vettels title was a foregone conclusion
before and after the race, could it be that
Horner and Marko have miraculously fixed the
problem with Webbers start sequences, and
he can finally race for wins?
Congrats Vettel on a great championship
campaign!
John Bagusauskas, Adelaide, Australia
tn_ralliart2600@hotmail.com
Credit where it is due!
I would just like to point out how Formula 1
made going to Japan look so much easier than
MotoGPs group of princesses.
In the lead up to the Motegi round of the
MotoGP, all I read in GPWeek was how much
the MotoGP circus (The Italian riders and
Press in particular) didnt want to go Japan
amid fears of radiation.
What a way to support the manufacturers
that make up and support almost the entire
MotoGP grid by boycotting their Grand Prix,
especially after so much adversity.
Thankfully, in the end they made the trek to
Motegi, and I absolutely loved the irony that
independent radiation tests proved it was
more radioactive in Italy than Japan.
I know Suzuka and Motegi are in different
regions, but the Formula 1 group spent
minimal time fearing radiation, and much,
much more time and resources supporting
their Japanese Formula 1 fans.
Just look at any Formula 1 livery or helmet
from the weekend! Especially Jenson Button.
Just goes to show how much more loyal
Formula 1 is to its fans.
Matthew Adamson
Dunfermline, Scotland
The single index finger gesture was
absent. Instead, Sebastian Vettel
replaced what has become his
traditional sign of victory with two
fingers a vee, signifying two world
championships.
We might moan that Japan lacked
tension, given Seb could have crashed
out of every one of the remaining
races this year and still likely won the
championship. Jenson Button like
Felipe Massa in Brazil in 2008 did all
he could, taking a brilliant victory. Seb
just needed one point, but he wanted
to claim the title with style.
I was as hungry as I have ever been,
going for victory, throwing the car
around and trying everything to get
close, said Seb after hunting down
Button and Fernando Alonso in the
dying laps, yet ultimately settling
for third. Still, at least he was on the
podium.
I recall Button and Lewis Hamiltons
championship wins being rather
understated affairs because we didnt
have them on a rostrum fted with
champagne, silverware and scantily
clad ladies. This is how a champion
should always be received.
His appetite for the top step was
clear from the start when he blocked
Button very firmly indeed. But not too
firmly, in my view. I was pleased the
stewards felt the same and, given Alan
Jones was in the hot seat this weekend,
it would have been a bit hypocritical
had Seb been slapped with a drive-
thru. In Jonesys view, anything goes:
including punching your sponsors.
Speaking of sparring, there was
a bit of friction in the green room. I
love it that they mount a mic on the
camera that follows the drivers from
parc ferme to podium.You can often
pick up some unguarded gems. You
might have expected Vettel, in the
midst of euphoria, to have conceded to
Button, but no he might as well have
reversed his two finger gesture.
You didnt see me at the start then? I
was halfway alongside complained
Jenson.
o
p
i
n
i
o
n
ADAM
HAY-
NICHOLLS
GPWeek Editor
Moto2 was meant to make a level
playing field. To a huge degree it
has been successful. Super-close
qualifying and races prove the
point. But in racing, success must
be sought in spite of the terrain. If
the ground is flat, then find a way to
raise its level.
The way to achieve this has not
changed, whether the bikes are
true-blood racing prototypes or
overweight and underpowered
production-engined 600s in a variety
of home-brewed chassis.
It is by spending money. By trying
different solutions, by making new
parts, and most especially by testing
them.
The progress of Marc Marquez
in the all-equal class has been an
education in talent. Still just 18, he
combines an aggressive will to win
with a sublime skill and sheer speed.
This as much as his dominant results
MICHAEL
SCOtt
MotoGP Editor
o
p
i
n
i
o
n
Some are more equal than others ...
Vettel sprouts a second finger!

GPWEEK OPINION
>>
marks him out as a major motorcycle racer
in the making. The next Rossi, if you like.
But nobody can think it happens only
because he has over-developed gifts.
Marquez, of course, has not only been
professionally groomed every step of the
way in that respect (by ex-125 champ
Emilio Alzamora. The taciturn Alzamora
has also laid on a highly professional and
well-financed team; Repsol took Marquez
into its stable from the start.
The Marquez squad is as like the average
impecunious Moto2 team at the other end
of the time sheets as a fine Spanish buffet
to a half-eaten can of baked beans. His
advantages are considerable. Although to
be fair not unique.
Theres the question of testing. Hes
reckoned to have done 20 days this
season, compared with five or six at
the other end of the scale. It would be
interesting to compare this with the other
top teams: like Gresinis and the Aspar
squad.
Theres the question of chassis
development. Marquezs team has bought
him the top option from Suters menu,
which includes factory-level development
throughout the season. A new swing-arm
is the latest; Marquez is several small but
significant steps ahead of the other Suter
users.
Steps are being taken to iron out this
inequality. Moto2 testing will next year
fall closer in line with the strict limits to
MotoGP.
It probably wont make much difference.
Theres a way around this as well, as
shown by the major factories. Theres no
restriction on running a test team. And in
the case of Moto2, even a friendly high-
level Spanish series in which to do it.
Levelling out is the goal also in Moto3;
and ultimately also in the top class with
the CRT sanction. But whatever the class,
one wrinkle cannot be flattened.
Money will always, one way or another,
buy more speed.
Yeah, halfway said Vettel, steelily.
Thats how were racing then,
responded Button with a wry smile.
Wonderful stuff.
Lewis Hamilton was on the
defensive following yet another
accident with Felipe Massa, who
since Monaco, it wouldnt surprise me,
might have invested in a Hamilton
voodoo doll such is his clear dislike
for the man and his racecraft.
Thats three scrapes in four
races for Hamilton, and this one
was reminiscent of the Kobayashi
crash in Belgium though not as
devastating. Once again, Lewis
turned across on a car on the
outside without looking in his
mirror properly. Lewis says theyre
too small and vibrate too much.
Perhaps hed like to take up truck
racing instead. Though I have come
to Lewiss defense on every occasion
this year I do concede that hes as
accident prone as Ted Kennedy on
date night.
Hamilton is not in a good place,
hes stated himself, and one wonders
whether this psychological fug is
self-inflicted or as a result of his
personal life. His father, Anthony,
made derogatory comments about
his management last week.
Team-mate Button, in contrast,
seems more content and is driving
better than weve ever seen him. A
win in Japan is especially poignant,
given his affinity for his second
home. With Jensons popularity so
great at McLaren, Hamilton is feeling
like the outsider and that wont sit
well with his complicated ego.
Vettels ego has always been in
check, and another title will have
nothing but positive effect. He
can now thoroughly enjoy the
remaining four rounds with the
pressure off, and I dont expect him
to slow down.
On the cool down lap, having
taken the flag, Michael Schumacher
Sebs countryman and hero came
alongside the Red Bull and gave him
the thumbs up from his cockpit.
Those small things make it really
really special, beamed Seb.
I tell you whats special: five
consecutive titles. And I wouldnt bet
against Vettel beating that record to
boot.
Some are more equal than others ...
Vettel sprouts a second finger!
23
4
N
OT that it mattered much, for
Seb Vettel was going to clinch
his second World Championship
in Korea if he wasnt going to do
so in Suzukaland, but I suspect the
conversation in the Stewards room,
just after the start, would have gone
something like this:
So. Alan: what do you think of that
move by Vettel at the start? He pushes the
Button, no?
Eh? replies the burly, Australian 1980
World Champion, Alan Jones, putting
down his glass. What move? Oh that
move. Nah. Seb was just squeezing him
a little. Hes a racing driver. What else is
he supposed to do? Send him a f***ing
invitation?
Thus Seb Vettel safely secured his
second World Championship. I say
secured because we all have to remember
that the new Champion isnt officially
consecrated until the end of the season
and that the FIA, if it chose so to do, could
remove the second title from young Sebs
already heavily-laden shoulders in some
form of bizarre penalty for an upcoming
misdemeanour. They wont, though. Sebs
too nice a guy, too good a representative
of his sport. Too uncontroversial. Hes not
in the emotional sense a Senna or a
Schumacher. Nothing will go amiss. This
ones in the history books, and thus we
should underline it in red:
Sebastian Vettel led the 2011
Championship from Race 1 and secured
it by Race 15. With four races still to run.
With nine wins, four seconds, one third
and a fourth. With almost complete
domination, in other words.
Not surprisingly, though, he drove a
little nervously in Japan. He never looked
comfortable up through the esses a
zone that he seemed to own exclusively
in 2009-10; he touched the tyre wall after
losing concentration on Friday on the
approach to Degner One; and by modern
F1 standards he was needlessly aggressive
off the line needlessly in the sense that
above all he needed a trouble-free Suzuka
if he was going to clinch the title.
AJ was always going to be on the side of
the aggressor, of course; but, still, it was a
risk.
S
eb reacted well, though, when it
became clear that Jenson Buttons
McLaren had taken the edge. Sebs 5.3
sec lead was reduced by half of that
amount by the time the first cycle was
over (laps 9/10) and Jenson was ahead
as they emerged from Cycle Two (laps
19/20). Seb pressed him hard for a lap or
three but then consolidated, as drivers
in his position are entitled to do. The
McLaren team had worked diligently since
Silverstone on additional high-speed
downforce and here, at Suzuka, they
had produced an RB7-beater. Jenson,
immaculate in his car, tyre and race
management, walked away with it.
RBRs response, then, was to put Seb
onto primes relatively early (lap 33) and
to let him run through to the finish. Good
call. The pressure was alleviated and the
goal was clear; and, of course, anything
could still happen.
In reality, Seb struck a mid-field traffic
jam and lost time. Fernando Alonso, doing
a Button-like job for Ferrari, assumed
Sebastian Vettel becomes the ninth back-to-back F1 champion and the
youngest yet. Suzuka was the perfect arena for this historic race. But
the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix winners trophy has another name on it:
Jenson Button. Peter Windsor reports on a beautiful day for both drivers.
F1 JAPAN
>>
A
N
A
L
Y
S
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S
PEtEr
WINDSOr
F1 Columnist
x2
25
second place. Seb then backed away,
nursed by his pit crew. P3 would be enough.
P3 would secure it.
P3 it was.
Out of the cars, in Parc Ferme, Jenson
delivered the inevitable with not a little
style:
So, err, you didnt see me at the start then?
Jenson had invited the Stewards to take
note of Sebs start-line squeeze by shouting
into the radio:
Hes got to get a penalty for that, hasnt
he? but otherwise he had kept quiet. Until
Parc Ferme.
Nice. Point made; lets move on.
A
nd the area to which Jenson can
now move is hallowed ground: he
comprehensively beat his team-mate, Lewis
Hamilton, on a circuit, and in conditions, that
Lewis usually loves. He did so in a car that
quite patently is currently better than its
been all year; and he did so despite losing
a place to Lewis off the line (due to the
aforementioned skirmish with the pole man).
And he won! A great, clean victory almost
from the front! And set fastest lap for only
the sixth time in his career! This was Jenson
Button at a level at which Ive never seen
him; this was Jenson Button with a nice,
long-term McLaren contract in his pocket,
waking up on race morning, totally at peace
with himself and his job. This was Jenson
being everything that Lewis is not
For Lewis, then, there are now two issues
bubbling over in the old subconscious,
ready to be manifest when anything goes
slightly askew: the first is that guy Vettel
the young kid who is doing at RBR what
he, Lewis, should be doing at McLaren; the
second is that ever-so-nice Jenson Button,
who in the space of six months or so seems
to have moved into Lewiss home, secured
the bedroom-with-a-view and held the best
parties.
Lewis could have won the pole at Suzuka;
Im pretty sure of that. He looked very good
in Qs 1 and 2 and in Q3, you knew, Lewis
at the esses was going to be inch-perfect
from the ultimate in tip-toey baselines. On
territory like the esses and at the Degners
Lewis Hamilton is still sublime; that was clear
in Q2, as if we didnt know it.
Yet it was a mess. It was as if he suddenly
shanked a ball into the trees or something.
He began his final out-lap as slowly as
possible, for the Pirelli options were super-
sensitive, but he fell away from the clock on
the relatively long Suzuka lap, seemingly
confident that hed make the timing line.
Suddenly, Michael Schumacher and Mark
Webber were upon him, desperate also
to make the line. Lewis straight-lined his
McLaren at the chicane, letting them past on
both sides. The chequered flag was out as he
accelerated hard down the hill
Not for nothing, of course, does Michael
Velcro a digital watch to his steering wheel
during qualifying. He wants to know the
time. Not for nothing do other teams/drivers
leave more margin for error when the lap
is long even when there are only eight
cars on the circuit. Ultimately, this shambles
was probably the fault of the team: they
should have just sent him out earlier. In my
experience, however, the team, in situations
like these, is very much in the hands of the
driver ie, the driver lets the team know
exactly what hes going to need and when.
That being so, Suzuka qualifying for Lewis
will go down as yet another indication that
things, for him, are out of synch.
Given the Seb Vettel situation, how
much confidence does Lewis now have in
every aspect of his life at McLaren? And,
given the Jenson Button deal, how much
confidence does McLaren now have in
Lewis? Lewis qualified only third, took P2
at the start and quickly ran out of grip.
Thats partly because he generally loads the
tyres more than Jenson, particularly on fast
corners, and partly because Jenson in my
view manages the outside rear tyre under
acceleration, from rotation point to exit, as
well as anyone since Kimi Raikkonen in his
McLaren days. This is one area where Lewis
who until now has been refreshingly
self-critical and quick to learn does not
yet seem able to match Jenson, let alone
surpass him.
Fernando Alonso drove beautifully into
second place for Ferrari, extracting 100
per cent from a car that is still not the
equal of either the RB7 or the McLaren;
and Felipe Massa had a relatively good
weekend, out-qualifying Fernando for the
third time in recent months, losing time
with the inevitable Hamilton skirmish and
eventually finishing seventh.
In this episode of MAS-HAM, Felipe had
been tailing Lewis and was up there, on the
outside of him on lap 21, racing for the lead
on the road, as they approached the chicane.
Felipe then lost some trim tabs for his trouble
when Lewis edged left before turning right.
In some respects given the way they
caned Sebastien Buemi for squeezing out
Nick Heidfeld in similar circumstances in
Germany Lewis did well to emerge without
a rap. He apologised to Felipe after the race,
mentioning vibrating mirrors that had made
visibility difficult, but this was similar to the
Lewis/Kobayashi shunt at Spa, where Lewis
again used a last-second transitory jink to
assert his piece of road.
In my view, this is wrong. If youre unsure
of where the other car lies, you maintain a
straight line, avoiding contact; I didnt see
him is no excuse.
M
ercedes GP were about where they
usually are and indeed were, for
Michaels energised P6 in 2011 merely
replicated his result from 2010. Nico
Rosberg meanwhile said it for the Q1
eliminators by winding his way up to P10:
this is now the eighth time in nine races
that a driver has scored points from P18 on
the grid, or lower.
Lotus Renault did well to reach Q3 with
both cars and then to leave their tyre
choice open for the race. Vitaly Petrov
started on primes and finished a good
eighth; and Bruno Senna again qualified
well (he started ahead of Vitaly thanks to
the benefits of numerical order!) but was
elbowed out by said Vitaly at Turn 2.
Being the new guy in town, Burno aptly
decided to back away. He fell into the torrid
lower mid-field and never really recovered.
Kamui Kobayashis home race was
similarly tainted (he lost his positions off
the line, when his Sauber fell into anti-
stall mode) but Sergio Perez, running a
temperature, made up for it with another
great drive into the points (P8). Until
Jenson decided to have some fun in the
closing minutes and recorded a lap in
1min 36.578sec, Sergio for a while seemed
poised to set Fastest Lap. If he had done
so I add merely for the fun of mentioning
his name! he would have been the first
Mexican with an FL to his credit since the
magical Pedro Rodriguez lapped a wet
Rouen faster than anyone else in 1968.
As it was, Sergios lap was only 0.001
slower than Jensons and, for reference, a
whole 1.1 sec quicker than Lewis.
Sebs fastest lap, while were at it, was
slower than Jensons, Sergios, Fernandos,
Marks and Nicos but then Sebatian Vettel
in Suzuka was driving a different race to
everyone else.
Just as he has been all year.
For more F1 Words of
Wisdom from Windsor,
CLICK HERE to check
out his website:
www.thefyinglap.com
6
second place. Seb then backed away,
nursed by his pit crew. P3 would be enough.
P3 would secure it.
P3 it was.
Out of the cars, in Parc Ferme, Jenson
delivered the inevitable with not a little
style:
So, err, you didnt see me at the start then?
Jenson had invited the Stewards to take
note of Sebs start-line squeeze by shouting
into the radio:
Hes got to get a penalty for that, hasnt
he? but otherwise he had kept quiet. Until
Parc Ferme.
Nice. Point made; lets move on.
A
nd the area to which Jenson can
now move is hallowed ground: he
comprehensively beat his team-mate, Lewis
Hamilton, on a circuit, and in conditions, that
Lewis usually loves. He did so in a car that
quite patently is currently better than its
been all year; and he did so despite losing
a place to Lewis off the line (due to the
aforementioned skirmish with the pole man).
And he won! A great, clean victory almost
from the front! And set fastest lap for only
the sixth time in his career! This was Jenson
Button at a level at which Ive never seen
him; this was Jenson Button with a nice,
long-term McLaren contract in his pocket,
waking up on race morning, totally at peace
with himself and his job. This was Jenson
being everything that Lewis is not
For Lewis, then, there are now two issues
bubbling over in the old subconscious,
ready to be manifest when anything goes
slightly askew: the first is that guy Vettel
the young kid who is doing at RBR what
he, Lewis, should be doing at McLaren; the
second is that ever-so-nice Jenson Button,
who in the space of six months or so seems
to have moved into Lewiss home, secured
the bedroom-with-a-view and held the best
parties.
Lewis could have won the pole at Suzuka;
Im pretty sure of that. He looked very good
in Qs 1 and 2 and in Q3, you knew, Lewis
at the esses was going to be inch-perfect
from the ultimate in tip-toey baselines. On
territory like the esses and at the Degners
Lewis Hamilton is still sublime; that was clear
in Q2, as if we didnt know it.
Yet it was a mess. It was as if he suddenly
shanked a ball into the trees or something.
He began his final out-lap as slowly as
possible, for the Pirelli options were super-
sensitive, but he fell away from the clock on
the relatively long Suzuka lap, seemingly
confident that hed make the timing line.
Suddenly, Michael Schumacher and Mark
Webber were upon him, desperate also
to make the line. Lewis straight-lined his
McLaren at the chicane, letting them past on
both sides. The chequered flag was out as he
accelerated hard down the hill
Not for nothing, of course, does Michael
Velcro a digital watch to his steering wheel
during qualifying. He wants to know the
time. Not for nothing do other teams/drivers
leave more margin for error when the lap
is long even when there are only eight
cars on the circuit. Ultimately, this shambles
was probably the fault of the team: they
should have just sent him out earlier. In my
experience, however, the team, in situations
like these, is very much in the hands of the
driver ie, the driver lets the team know
exactly what hes going to need and when.
That being so, Suzuka qualifying for Lewis
will go down as yet another indication that
things, for him, are out of synch.
Given the Seb Vettel situation, how
much confidence does Lewis now have in
every aspect of his life at McLaren? And,
given the Jenson Button deal, how much
confidence does McLaren now have in
Lewis? Lewis qualified only third, took P2
at the start and quickly ran out of grip.
Thats partly because he generally loads the
tyres more than Jenson, particularly on fast
corners, and partly because Jenson in my
view manages the outside rear tyre under
acceleration, from rotation point to exit, as
well as anyone since Kimi Raikkonen in his
McLaren days. This is one area where Lewis
who until now has been refreshingly
self-critical and quick to learn does not
yet seem able to match Jenson, let alone
surpass him.
Fernando Alonso drove beautifully into
second place for Ferrari, extracting 100
per cent from a car that is still not the
equal of either the RB7 or the McLaren;
and Felipe Massa had a relatively good
weekend, out-qualifying Fernando for the
third time in recent months, losing time
with the inevitable Hamilton skirmish and
eventually finishing seventh.
In this episode of MAS-HAM, Felipe had
been tailing Lewis and was up there, on the
outside of him on lap 21, racing for the lead
on the road, as they approached the chicane.
Felipe then lost some trim tabs for his trouble
when Lewis edged left before turning right.
In some respects given the way they
caned Sebastien Buemi for squeezing out
Nick Heidfeld in similar circumstances in
Germany Lewis did well to emerge without
a rap. He apologised to Felipe after the race,
mentioning vibrating mirrors that had made
visibility difficult, but this was similar to the
Lewis/Kobayashi shunt at Spa, where Lewis
again used a last-second transitory jink to
assert his piece of road.
In my view, this is wrong. If youre unsure
of where the other car lies, you maintain a
straight line, avoiding contact; I didnt see
him is no excuse.
M
ercedes GP were about where they
usually are and indeed were, for
Michaels energised P6 in 2011 merely
replicated his result from 2010. Nico
Rosberg meanwhile said it for the Q1
eliminators by winding his way up to P10:
this is now the eighth time in nine races
that a driver has scored points from P18 on
the grid, or lower.
Lotus Renault did well to reach Q3 with
both cars and then to leave their tyre
choice open for the race. Vitaly Petrov
started on primes and finished a good
eighth; and Bruno Senna again qualified
well (he started ahead of Vitaly thanks to
the benefits of numerical order!) but was
elbowed out by said Vitaly at Turn 2.
Being the new guy in town, Burno aptly
decided to back away. He fell into the torrid
lower mid-field and never really recovered.
Kamui Kobayashis home race was
similarly tainted (he lost his positions off
the line, when his Sauber fell into anti-
stall mode) but Sergio Perez, running a
temperature, made up for it with another
great drive into the points (P8). Until
Jenson decided to have some fun in the
closing minutes and recorded a lap in
1min 36.578sec, Sergio for a while seemed
poised to set Fastest Lap. If he had done
so I add merely for the fun of mentioning
his name! he would have been the first
Mexican with an FL to his credit since the
magical Pedro Rodriguez lapped a wet
Rouen faster than anyone else in 1968.
As it was, Sergios lap was only 0.001
slower than Jensons and, for reference, a
whole 1.1 sec quicker than Lewis.
Sebs fastest lap, while were at it, was
slower than Jensons, Sergios, Fernandos,
Marks and Nicos but then Sebatian Vettel
in Suzuka was driving a different race to
everyone else.
Just as he has been all year.
F1 JAPAN
>>
27
HEPPENHEIM-born Sebastian
Vettel wrapped up his second
world championship to
become the youngest ever
back-to-back world champion
in Japan on Sunday, although
his hopes of a third successive
Suzuka win were dashed
by fellow world champions
Jenson Button and Fernando
Alonso.
All looked to be in order for
the German early in the race
when he kept the lead from
pole position, but with above-
average tyre wear on his Red
Bull he soon came under
pressure from behind.
He relinquished the lead
to Jenson Button after his
second pitstop, having pitted
one lap sooner, and then after
the safety car period dropped
behind Alonso with the
Spaniard having run four laps
longer on the soft tyre before
switching to the medium for
the final run to the flag.
I think we were a little bit too
weak today on the option tyre,
against those two guys at the
end of the stints, he reported.
On the hard tyre, I felt much,
much better but I came out
behind Fernando, lost a little
bit of time to the Force India
[Adrian Sutil] when I tried to get
past, which didnt work straight
away and then I was sticking to
Fernando quite well until the
Virgin [Jerome dAmbrosio] I
dont know, maybe he should
use both of his mirrors, it was a
bit dangerous.
Fernando was right behind
him, he pulled to the right,
let him by, before taking the
corner before Turn 8 and I knew
that I wouldnt take any stupid
risks but I didnt expect him
to go back on line but he did
so I lost quite a lot. I lost the
connection which is obviously
important.
No Suzuka
hat-trick but
world title is
consolation
prize for Seb
JENSON Button claimed his fifth McLaren victory to
reinforce his second place in the drivers championship.
Having gone fastest in all three practice sessions and lost
out on pole by just 68 cm (0.01% of the lap distance), Button
just about had the measure of Alonso and Vettel on Sunday
afternoon to pick up another 25 points.
The 31-year-old made a great start off the line but was
pushed onto the grass by Vettel who vigorously defended his
lead. The incident caused some post-race niggle between the
pair as they waited for the podium celebrations to begin, with
Button quipping thats how were racing then after asking
Vettel if he had seen him coming up beside.
The incident was investigated by the stewards during the
race but no action was taken.
I am not going to lie: From my point of view I felt that he
kept coming when I wasnt alongside him but I had half my car
up the inside, Button said after the race.
I thought he was coming across more than I expected and
didnt give me any room and I was on the grass but I am sure
when I watch it back on TV, or maybe when I watch it back on
TV, I will have a different opinion.
But at that moment in time, yes, I felt that it was a little
Jenson back on the top step ...
... but not happy with Vettels startline aggression

F1 JAPAN
>>
F1 JAPAN
>>
Jenson back on the top step ...
... but not happy with Vettels startline aggression
bit more than was needed. But it was obviously fair, as the
stewards said it was fair, so thats it.
With Button down in third at the end of the first lap, he
had his work cut out for him to challenge for the lead, but
he was soon back up to second after team-mate Hamilton
picked up a puncture, before then leapfrogging Vettel
during the second round of stops after going on lap longer.
From there he kept his distance to his rivals, but in the
closing stages Alonso, who had inherited second from Vettel
during the final round of stops, began closing in rapidly on
the Briton. Button had plenty in reserve however and as
soon as Alonso got within a second, he popped in the fastest
lap of the race to cruise to a comfortable finish.
I have been watching Seb drive all year and I have decided
that is the way to go racing. Just cruise it and stick in a fast
lap, revealed Button.
Thats what he seems to do at the end of the race, so I
thought I would give it a go and it worked pretty well, so it
was good.
I was looking after tyres, also looking after a bit of fuel, so
it wasnt the easiest few laps. The last five laps werent the
most enjoyable, I must admit, but we got it home.
2
We meet again! Messrs Webber, Schumacher ... and Hamilton (below) pretty much screw
up the start of each others fnal Q3 lap. Hamilton was the loser this time ... the Aussie and
the German would clash again in the race.
MICHAEL Schumacher has closed to
within three points of team-mate Nico
Rosberg in the drivers championship after
finishing an impressive sixth.
The Suzuka specialist was lucky to finish
at all however after coming to blows with
Red Bulls Mark Webber during the race.
Webber pitted on lap 20, emerging
behind Schumacher in the fight for sixth
and the following lap came up behind the
German at the Dunlop curve before tagging
his front wing against the Mercedes left-
rear tyre. The contact damaged the right
side of his front wing, with the debris lying
on the track subsequently contributing to
the deployment of the Safety Car three laps
later.
Despite the damage caused to Webbers
front wing, he was able to battle on and
secured fourth place at the finish, losing
more ground to Alonso and Button in the
fight for second in the championship.
I had some contact with Michael, which
did some damage to my front wing at a
crucial part of the race as I was trying to
come back through the pack, said Webber.
We made contact, but he got away with it.
Schumacher and Webber
survive mid-race contact
30
F1 JAPAN
>>
LEWIS Hamilton and Felipe Massa renewed their
infamous on-track rivalry in Suzuka on Sunday
as the pair made contact with each other for the
second race in a row.
Its the third time in four races that Hamilton has
made contact with another driver, having retired
from the Belgian Grand Prix after hitting Saubers
Kamui Kobayashi .
On this occasion however the contact was
significantly lighter and both drivers were able to
continue largely unhindered. The contact came
on lap 21, just before Hamiltons second pitstop,
when Massa was attempting a pass on the Briton
on the racing line. Hamilton, not knowing Massa
was there, moved across and made contact,
causing minor damage to the Brazilians front
wing endplate, but no noticeable damage to his
own McLaren.
Hamilton apologised for the incident after the
race and insisted that there has been no intention
in causing collisions with Massa in recent races.
I dont really know what happened with Felipe
the cars mirrors vibrate at high-speed, so I
couldnt see him pulling alongside me, explained
Hamilton.
I want to apologise for our cars touching, but
fortunately nothing happened to either of us.
There was no bad intention towards Felipe; Ive
got the utmost respect for him, hes a fantastic
driver and he was extremely quick today.
Massa was unmoved by Hamiltons apology
however and said that the footage of the incident
spoke for itself. He later criticised the stewards for
not penalising Hamilton and again called on the
FIA to take care of Hamiltons driving.
My car was definitely damaged by it: when I
looked at it after the race, I saw there was a bit of
the front wing endplate missing and the floor was
not on properly on the left hand side and I could
feel it in the way my car was behaving, said Massa.
I think the footage speaks for itself: he was
struggling with his tyres and I had almost come
alongside him and for no reason, he moved over
and hit me. I let you be the judge... Its pointless
for me to say any more about it.
Massa took the chequered flag in seventh place
just four seconds adrift of Hamilton who finished
fifth.
FOrMULA 1 round 15 SUzUKA
Points Drivers: Vettel 324, Button 210, Alonso 202, Webber 194, Hamilton
178, Massa 90, Rosberg 63, Schumacher 60, Petrov 36, Heidfeld 34, Sutil 28,
Kobayashi 27, di Resta 20, Alguersuari 16, Perez 13, Buemi 13 etc
Manufacturers: Red Bull 518, McLaren 388, Ferrari 292, Mercedes 123, 72
163, Force India 48, Sauber 40, Toro Rosso 29, Williams 5.
Pos # Driver Team Laps Time Grid
1 4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 53 1:30:53.427 2
2 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 53 +1.1 secs 5
3 1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 53 +2.0 secs 1
4 2 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 53 +8.0 secs 6
5 3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 53 +24.2 secs 3
6 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 53 +27.1 secs 8
7 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 53 +28.2 secs 4
8 17 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 53 +39.3 secs 17
9 10 Vitaly Petrov Renault 53 +42.6 secs 10
10 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 53 +44.3 secs 23
11 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 53 +54.4 secs 11
12 15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 53 +62.3 secs 12
13 16 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 53 +63.7 secs 7
14 12 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 53 +64.1 secs 14
15 19 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 53 +66.6 secs 16
16 9 Bruno Senna Renault 53 +72.6 secs 9
17 11 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 53 +74.1 secs 13
18 20 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 53 +87.8 secs 18
19 21 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 53 +96.1 secs 19
20 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 21
21 25 Jerome dAmbrosio Virgin-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 20
22 22 Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 22
23 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 50 +3 Laps 24
Ret 18 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 11 Wheel 15
Hamilton and Massa
make contact ... again
lewis apologises, Felipe asks Fia to intervene
31
F1 JAPAN
>>
Alonso back on the podium for Ferrari
Fernando Alonso has kept himself within striking distance
of second place in the drivers championship after a strong
second place finish in Suzuka, marking his eighth podium
finish of the year for Ferrari.
Based on his practice and qualifying pace, it looked unlikely
that he would be able to challenge McLaren and Red Bull for a
place on the podium, but come Sunday he was able to make his
tyres last and finish within a second of the win.
The Spaniard started fifth on the grid behind team-mate Felipe
Massa and after keeping position off the line, he found his way
past the Brazilian at the beginning of lap six. Hamiltons puncture
then promoted Alonso to third behind Vettel and Button, but
with Alonso able to go longer into his penultimate stint before
pitting for the final time, he leapfrogged Vettel to take second,
behind Button who was now in the lead.
Alonso said the podium will act as a big motivation for the
team going into the final races and next year:
From the start we didnt overtake any car but then the strategy
was quite important, with a lot of tyre degradation, so we picked
the right moment to stop and we had the pace today to fight
with McLaren and Red Bull and finally, a fantastic podium, he
said.
I think it is a good thing for the team after difficult races
where we were not so competitive that we came back to a good
level here, and this podium means a lot for the team, a lot of
motivation for the remaining races of this year and, for sure, a big
boost for next years motivation.
Despite closing to within one second of Button with three laps
to go, Alonso said afterwards that it had been impossible to fight
for victory. Button had been taking care of his tyres at the time,
before opening the gap to 1.7 seconds on the penultimate lap.
Alonso had also been busy keeping Vettel behind earlier in his
final stint.
First, with Sebastian it was difficult to keep him behind as at
that part of the race he was quicker than us. I tried to defend the
position in braking for the last corners and into the first corner as
well, where the DRS was active, Alonso continued.
After we had done this job we saw we were catching a little bit
Jenson, so we tried in the last couple of laps but, as we saw later
on, Jenson was taking care about tyres, about his car, so it was
impossible to fight for victory this time.
admits victory was impossible
HOME hero Kamui Kobayashi was
unable to send the fanatical Suzuka
supporters into a flurry of excitement
on Sunday after struggling to perform,
despite securing his best ever Formula
One grid position.
A poor start coupled with a very long
final stint meant Kobayashi crossed
the finish line in 13th, having last year
finished seventh after wowing the
crowd with a number of eye-catching
overtaking manoeuvres.
Like four other drivers Kobayashi
opted not to set a time in Q3 on Saturday,
putting him 10th on the provisional
starting grid, but he was later bumped up
to seventh by the FIA after it was deemed
he had started a flying lap unlike the
other three drivers. He hit anti-stall at the
start yesterday however, undoing all his
good work and dropping him to 12th on
the opening lap.
At the start when I released the clutch
the car suddenly was in anti-stall mode,
and that was why I lost five positions
straight away, explained Kobayashi.
I tried to fight other cars then but
overtaking wasnt as easy as it was here
last year. Then the safety car came out in
what was a bad moment for our strategy.
On a two-stop strategy, Kobayashi was
then forced to pit behind the safety car,
meaning he would spend more than half
the race distance on the same set of tyres
to finish the Grand Prix. Although he was
able to keep a consistent pace and rise
as high as ninth, he was soon passed by
Sutil, Petrov, Rosberg and di Resta, all of
whom had fewer than 15 laps on their
tyres.
I did my second stop when the safety
car was out, we changed from the soft to
the medium compound and with those
tyres I then had to go to the end of the
race 29 laps, continued the Japanese.
In the end they were just so bad that I
couldnt defend my position anymore. I
am very proud of all the Japanese fans
who are so excited about Formula One.
They are a great crowd and for me it was
a very emotional day.
Kobayashi disappoints with
point-less home race
3
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Team-By-Team: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
Jenson Button survived Vettels startline
lunge to take a victory that was seen as
highly unlikely going into the weekend,
although he left having dominated the entire
three-day event. He topped every practice
session, missed out on pole by just 0.009 of a
second, took the race win and set fastest lap,
albeit after being pushed to the very limit
by Alonso. Team-mate Hamilton endured
another tough weekend, first by missing
out on fighting for pole, then an early-race
puncture and finally with poor pace on the
medium tyre in his final stint. He held off
Schumacher in the closing laps.
All the money was on Red Bull to dominate the
weekend just like they had done the past two
seasons, but poor tyre wear coupled with slow
pitstops cost Vettel the chance of a Suzuka
hat-trick. He lost almost three seconds to race-
winner Button in the pitlane alone and lost
out to Alonso after pitting early for his final
stop, but still came third to secure his second
world championship. Team-mate Webber
finished just 8 seconds off the pace in fourth
after battling through from sixth and surviving
contact with Michael Schumacher.
Vitaly Petrov returned Renault to the points
after their dismal weekend in Singapore after
a well-executed two-stop strategy from 10th
on the grid. He overtook close rivals di Resta,
Kobayashi and Sutil in the final quarter to
climb to 9th, but ran out of laps in his pursuit of
Perez. Team-mate Senna failed to make it into
the top ten after losing four places off the line
and struggling with tyre wear from then on.
Despite getting the help of the safety car he
finished the race half a minute behind Petrov,
albeit in only his fourth race for the team.
Michael Schumacher did an admirable job to
finish sixth in the Mercedes, albeit with help
from the safety car. He was a pitstop behind
the top six drivers in the first half of the race,
but running until the final 12 laps to make
his final stop allowed him to keep Massa at
bay and stay close with Hamilton to take the
flag three seconds behind the McLaren. A
qualifying hydraulics failure limited Rosberg
to 23rd on the grid and he was only able
to recover to 10th on a three-stop strategy,
helped by overtaking three rivals in the final
ten laps.
Williams endured their 12th point-less
weekend of the year after again failing to
challenge the top ten all weekend. The team
split their drivers on strategy, with Barrichello
taking the three-stop route and Maldonado
scheduled to stop just twice. That was changed
when the safety car was deployed and Pastor
switched to a three-stop. His pace improved
in the closing stages and he was able to
overtaking two cars, but it was too little too
late. Barrichello took the flag in 17th after
struggling for pace on the medium tyre in his
final stint.
Fernando Alonso admitted after the race that
fighting for the win was never in his mind, but
he came within touching distance of the top
step of the podium in the closing stages after
dropping the gap to Button to 1 second with
three laps to go. He just ran out of laps, but did
well to finish ahead of Vettel nonetheless. Massa
had another frustrating Grand Prix after driving
half the race with a damaged car following
contact with Hamilton yet again. He couldnt get
by Schumacher in the closing laps and took the
flag in seventh.
34
F1 JAPAN
>>
Team-By-Team: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
Brilliant starts for both Sutil and di Resta failed
to net them any points at the end of the race,
after just falling short in 11th and 12th places
respectively. Di Resta got the better start and
jumped his team-mate at lights-out, thereby
beginning a ding-dong battle in which they
swapped places three times over the course
of the race. The safety car spoiled both their
races however, leading to their downfall from
the points. Challenging Renault for fifth in
the constructors championship is looking
increasingly unlikely now with four races left.
Saving new tyres during qualifying failed to
help Toro Rosso on Sunday after recording a
15th place and a DNF. Buemi retired on lap 12
when his wheel came loose following a pitstop,
for which the team was fined 5,000, while
Alguersuari ran at the back end of the midfield
pack for the entire race to come home 15th,
having been overtaken by Maldonado on the
final lap. He spent his first stint behind both
Lotuses but found it difficult to overtake as he
was hitting the rev limiter. Buemis race was
looking much more promising after running in
9th prior to retiring.
Sergio Perez attained his first back-to-back
points finish in Suzuka on Sunday after two-
stopping his way to 8th place having started
a lowly 17th on the grid. Despite not making
a single place up off the line he rose through
the field as his rivals pitted early and the
deployment of the safety car allowed him
to leapfrog both Force Indias. A short final
stint on the soft allowed him to maintain his
position to the flag. Kobayashi endured a
tough home race after a poor start and taking
on too long a final stint due to the emergence
of the safety car.
Timo Glock won the battle of the Virgins at the
back of the field after a race-long battle with
team-mate dAmbrosio, with HRTs Ricciardo
in the mix also. All three were on similar three-
stop strategies and dAmbrosio was ahead
for most of the race until the final round of
stops when Glock snuck by. The German had
lost 4 seconds in his first pitstop because of a
sticking rear tyre, meaning he spent his second
stint behind Ricciardo but with the help of the
safety car he was able to battle back to finish
20th at the flag.
It was a bitter sweet day of racing action for
HRT in Suzuka, with Daniel Ricciardo enjoying
his best race to date but with team-mate Tonio
Liuzzi enduring a nightmare weekend to finish
in last place three laps behind the leader. Liuzzi
hit problem after problem in practice and
qualifying, meaning he had only 14 laps under
his belt before the race. That left him with
massive tyre degradation and he was happy
just to finish. Ricciardo battled race-long with
both Virgin drivers and lost a place to Glock
because of the safety car, but finished within 4
seconds of him and Glock.
Team Lotus got both cars to the finish on the
lead lap for the very first time in their short
two-year history on Sunday, albeit helped
with the deployment of the safety car at the
perfect time to aid their cause. Both drivers
enjoyed tremendous starts to get ahead of a
number of experienced teams, with Kovalainen
rising as high as 14th. Both Kovalainen and
Trulli kept Senna at bay in the third quarter of
the race, with the pair eventually finishing 15
seconds behind the Brazilian .Trulli stayed with
Kovalainen right to the flag after dropping
almost 15 seconds behind him prior to the
safety car.
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37
SUZUKI:
Its dj-vu ...
all over again
With Suzuki looking like quitting, could a
strong independent team emerge from
the ashes?
Michael Scott investigates
3
MOTOGP FEATURE
>>
3
Grand Prix stalwarts Suzuki competing
since 1960 are on the brink. From both
outside and inside, it looks very much as
if the third Japanese factory is to follow
come-and-go Kawasaki out of MotoGP.
Yet there are signs of ... indecision at
least. A 1000cc MotoGP prototype is on
test, and no firm answer has yet come
from above. The England-based team
waits on tenterhooks.
Elsewhere in England, theres a strong
sense of dj vu, among the remnants
of a previous all-England Suzuki factory
team. It has all happened before. And
the current Suzuki squad, run by Paul
Denning, can take heart from one of
racings most robust stories of survival.
Suzuki had come later to the 500
class than the first two-stroke winner
Yamaha. But the square-four RG500 was
a design classic, and the compact and
powerful disc-valve took Barry Sheenes
consecutive titles in 1976 and 1977. The
same basic design was good enough to
win again in 1981 and 1982, and at the
same time had become the privateers
must-have, selling in large numbers and
helping to put a stranglehold on the
constructors championship from 1976 to
1982.
In 1983 the stakes got higher. Honda
was back with Freddie Spencer on a new-
generation two-stroke; Yamaha had a new
V4.
Involved since the early glory days
with Sheene, by 1983 Garry Taylor was
managing the factory team, in HB colours
with Randy Mamola on board. Both had
a contract for 1984. The Suzuki factory
had other ideas. And the England-based
factory team only heard about them on
the grapevine.
We were racing in Italy when someone
from the Suzuki Motocross team, based in
Belgium, came over and said: Its a shame
about next year, isnt it. That was the first
we heard that the factory had decided to
pull out.
Randy was snapped up by Honda, said
Taylor. But the team was left high and dry.
What happened next offers more
echoes today. It is an early example of an
independent GP racing enterprise, and it
has strong parallels for an ambitious CRT
team.
Having decided to carry on regardless
of the factory decision, Taylor credits
British Suzuki importers Heron-Suzuki
chief Dennis Rohan for the means of
survival. He persuaded (Heron Group big
chief ) Gerald Ronson to write the cheque
to support an independent team.
This was the start of three years of not
just battling against the odds but of high
adventure, and of technical innovation
that was not all successful, but all far
ahead of its time.
Crucially it was made possible by one
key factor, which no longer applies today:
The engine side wasnt a big cost item.
Being two-strokes, they were much
simpler than a MotoGP engine, confirms
Taylor. In a new-century CRT team, even
using production-based motors, the
opposite is true.
Although the factory had officially
withdrawn, Heron Suzuki did get some
support when it came to a continued
supply of factory-spec parts and engines:
The racing department was still active,
and there were a lot of private RG500s
still in use, so they were making spares.
Whether it was sanctioned by the board
or not I dont know, but they managed to
include enough engine parts to keep us
going.
As for the rest of the bike, the team was
able to go its own way, with a big enough
budget and a blossoming world of racing
developments from which to draw. The
Left: The Suzuki RG500
that took Sheen to his two
titles in 76-77
Below: The famous Heron
Suzuki colours
40
MOTOGP FEATURE
>>
list of innovations or early adoption is
significant, encompassing:
the first use of bonded honeycomb
chassis
first-in-class carbon-fibre chassis
pioneering development of carbon
brakes
early development of upside-down
forks
The braking work was done hand
in hand with British automotive giant
AP. While carbon brakes were now in
common use in racing cars, the different
requirements of motorcycles made
this important development work. One
experiment that didnt catch on was
the use of a carbon rim-disc. There was
braking power aplenty with just one set of
callipers, but the knock-off problems were
never really solved.
Upside-down forks, now universal,
were actually first seen in a GP context
on the Honda NR500 in 1979: just one of
a parcel of innovation in that ultimately
disastrously unsuccessful oval-piston four-
stroke. They didnt catch on at first, but
now Suzuki was in on the ground floor
working with White Power suspension, as
another high-level development partner.
The chassis were the biggest adventure
of all. At that time, bonded honeycomb
sandwich chassis more or less went
without saying in car racing. At the same
time, a young designer was working at
bike chassis builders Waddon Engineering,
in Croydon just outside London.
He was Nigel Leaper, and the chassis
he made was a slab-sided honeycomb
composite, folded and bonded, and
instantly dubbed the cardboard box.
In the context of the time, it worked well.
As importantly for an independent team,
already relying on extensive support from
the honeycomb manufacturer Ciba-Geigy,
it was extremely strong.
Australian Paul Lewis rode for us in the
second year, and he had 13 big crashes
on that chassis. It survived undamaged,
recalled Taylor.
The chassis remained unique, then in
the third year Leaper essayed the first
carbon-fibre chassis of any significance
in the 500 class. Actually it was an
aluminium-carbon composite does that
strike any chimes with Ducati?
Another great team innovation
came from outside but would become
integral with Suzuki and the team: they
introduced Kevin Schwantz to GP racing.
In 1987, the experiments were over. The
Suzuki factory had a change of heart. They
built a new-style V4 engine, and came
back to GPs. The Heron Suzuki team once
again continued as before: but now it was
a factory team playing to factory rules.
The chassis experiments went out of the
window: Leaper had made a full carbon-
fibre chassis for the new V4, but Suzuki
preferred their own design. They bought
all our experimental chassis to study I
think they were destroyed, said Taylor.
Leaper turned his back on bikes to move
to F1; one can only speculate on how
different Ducatis position might be today
if those early experiments had been able
to continue.
Suspension and brake suppliers were
changed to suit factory OE alignments,
and the Suzuki reverted to being another
all-Japanese racer. In the hands of Kevin
Schwantz, it would win 25 races and take
the 1993 World Championship. Which was
more than the independent squad had
been able to do.
Does this tale mean anything to the
current Suzuki dilemma? Probably not.
But history has been known to repeat
itself.
41
Heading for a
multiple climax
With the seasons end approaching, the WRC crown is far from settled, as Martin
Holmes explains
4
WRC feature
>>
T
he 2011 rallying season is heading for most intense climaxes,
with all but one of the major titles still undecided and only
one month to go before the season comes to an end.
The only odds-on bet is that Citroen Total World Rally Team will
retain the manufacturers title. The other championships are not
worth the risk of gambling on the result.
The crashes of both Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier
shook up the race for the world championship titles, for both
manufacturers and for drivers, and the chances of an eighth
successive drivers title for Loeb took a severe tumble when his
engine failed in France, his second successive disaster. Mister
Untouchable suddenly became very much touchable. Why Ford,
which started the season so well, effectively lost touch with Citroen
is hard to define. They were unlucky in that several of their event-
losing margins were very small, but the team suggested they
lacked a killer instinct when they passed by the opportunity to
argue for victory in Argentina. And nobody can fully understand
why number one driver Mikko Hirvonen has been so off-form for so
long.
But what has been impressive is the way that they have remained
competitive with Citroen despite the handicap of using a converted
production car engine rather than a full Global Engine design.
Unlike rival Citroen, Ford has also been blessed with a happy team-
driver relationship, in which Jari-Matti Latvala has twice made huge
personal sacrifices in order to overcome misfortunes of teammate
Mikko Hirvonen.
The wonder of the championship is that Mikko is lying equal top
of the drivers championship as the team head for the penultimate
round of the series, after one of the most lack-lustre seasons in the
memory of a top world championship driver.
Hirvonens lack of form has privately exasperated Latvala, to the
extent that Latvala had wanted Hirvonen to spend his energies
on the rest of the rally, rather than the Power Stage where
supplemental drivers championship points are this year on offer.
But, whats happening? Of Loebs 196 points, 178 have been gained
from orthodox overall positions on rallies, while Hirvonen had
gained 182. So, Mr Latvala, maybe you have been misjudging your
teammate? Perhaps it is important for Hirvonen to concentrate on
improving his Power Stage performance!
At the moment, before Catalunya, Loeb and Hirvonen are equal
on points, Ogier is third, three points behind three drivers with
three points between them. Pretty good! Both the manufacturers
and the drivers championships could be settled in Spain, though
for the drivers series this likely to continue through to the final
round in Britain.
One series which has to be decided in Spain is the SWRC, for
which Rally Catalunya is the final round.
Here we have another three-point cliff hanger. Skoda driver Juho
Hanninen is that margin ahead of Ford driver Ott Tanak. Of the
six events they have already contested (in fact always the same
events, both having opted out of Jordan) the Estonian has won
three against the Finns two, Tanak continuing to regret his crash
in Greece when he could not finish, and which looks like being the
deciding factor in the season.
Juho however has not been immune to crashes. Twice (Germany
and France) he lost wheels but each time he was able to finish, and
because of low entry levels, each time he qualified as a finisher he
scored valuable championship points. Hanninen is the favourite
but should Tanak achieve the title, it will be a great occasion for
the Estonian nation, the first time a driver from that country will
achieve a world rally title.
The series which can only be resolved at Rally GB is the
Academy series. This time another Estonian, Egon Kaur (who has
the tie-deciding results in his favour), is 20 points ahead of Irish
driver Craig Breen. 20 is well short of a maximum score, which
means a podium result for Kaur in GB will ensure Kaurs title
notwithstanding Breens placing.
So the only major series which has already been sorted out is
PCWRC, where Hayden Paddon has only to start in Spain and
on Rally GB to be confirmed as Production Car world champion,
which will again be the final challenge for Harry Hunt before he is
confirmed as the FIAs 2WD Cup title holder.
Main Pic: Petter Solberg at last
seasons Rally of Spain
43
22 year-old Andreas
Mikkelsen has won the
most major event in his
career, the IRC series Rally of
Scotland, after a season of
misfortunes.
Skoda cars finished 1-2,
winning the IRC Manfacturers
award for the season, and
creating a exciting prospect
for the Drivers championship
with six candidates for the
title with one event to run.
Peugeot had a poor event,
rescued only by Bryan
Bouffiers third place. Earlier
leader Guy Wilks lost six
minutes off the road on
Stage 5 then retired on the
final stage with a broken
wheel while Thierry Neuville
had small misfortunes and
two gearbox problems, after
lying second overall.
Rain created unpleasant
driving conditions and
caused the cancellation of
one stage.
Both Protons retired, Alister
McRae with oil pressure
problems and PG Andersson
with electical trouble, while
Patrik Sandell stopped with
suspension failure, the latter
two drivers having risen as
high as fourth.
Japanese drivers Toshi
Arai and Fumio Nutahara in
the Yokohama team Subaru
Impreza R4 cars finished 1st
and 3rd in the Production
Car category, which in the
IRC combines R4 as well as
Class N4 cars, after the British
rally champion David Bogie
retired with suspension
failure in his Mitsubishi Evo
IX. Estonian driver Martin
Kangur won the two-wheel-
drive category in his Honda.
The event counted for 50%
extra points, and with the
final round in Cyprus scoring
double points, Skoda chiefs
face a tricky management
challenge. Their preferred
driver Jan Kopecky, who
finished fifth on this event,
leads the series by 6 points
from teammate Juho
Hanninen, but close behind
are Neuville, Mikkelsen,
Bouffier and Freddy Loix, all
of whom are in the running.
Alexandre Dardoufas, 89, long time
organiser of the Acropolis Rally died on
14 September.
Alongside his colleagues Cesar Torres
from Portugual, Guy Goutard and Bernard
Consten from France, Dardoufas was one
of a group of motor sport dignitaries who
worked endlessly to turn the concept of
the world rally championship into viable
reality. Under his leadership, the Acropolis
was one of the founder events in the
history of the world rally championship,
which began in 1973.
He was in fact involved more than 20
years previously when the Acropolis Rally
was being first planned in 1952.
With the passing of Alexandre has
come the end of a remarkable and a
group of Greek enthusiasts who took their
determination through their country and
then into the outside world. He was voted
member of FIA Executive Committee,
became chairman of the Greek sporting
federation ELPA in 1977 and vice-
president of FIA in 1981. Rally enthusiasts
in Greece recognised him as a most
capable diplomat as well as a powerful
personality. A leading Greek motorsport
journalist Thomas Efthimiou summed it up
when he said: we will always think of him
when we watch the cars at the Acropolis
Rally. Because without him, we would not
be there.
Seven times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb is to be immortalised at
Paris Musee Grevin, one of the oldest wax museums in Europe.
He is to join the reproductions of around 300 of the most famous and
notorious characters who have featured in French history. The Museum
includes a panorama of French history from Charlemagne to Napoleon III,
bloody scenes of the French Revolution and a tableau of Charlotte Corday
murdering Jean-Paul Marat. This includes the actual knife and bathtub used.
Sebastien said Im very flattered to be part of the Grevin Museum its an
honour.
Vale: Alexandre Dardoufas
Sobering moment as Loeb gets plastered
Finally Mikkelsen wins an IRC rally
44
WRC news
>>
We retired from Rallye de France because the organisers placed
barriers on the side of the road on the outside of a corner and
never told us, Armindo Araujo told journalists in his native
Portugal.
As we are not a registered team, we are banned by the FIA
from using gravel note crews. We were lying seventh overall and
running seventh car when we went off the road on the first corner
of the first stage of the final day.
Shortly after the start of the stage we had to turn right in front
of a house. The thick concrete barriers were in front of the house,
which reduced the width of the road by a metre or so. These
barriers were not there during recce, and there was no warning
from the organisers that they had been put them there. The first
six cars were allowed to have gravel crews working for them
and could warn their drivers of unexpected obstacles. On the
Mulhouse stage the previous afternoon they also made some
changes, but there they gave us full warning.
As a result, the Armindos Mini John Cooper Works WRC suffered
serious suspension damage and could not continue. Araujos car is
being repaired in time for Catalunya Rally, where he is due to have
two days of pre-event testing.
The car will be fitted with a new engine and new gearbox for
this final asphalt round of the season. The whole incident is shown
clearly at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLmsSI9xogk
The spate of crashes in Rallye de France
have demanded changes to plans for
the Mini WRC team for Spain.
The badly damaged car of Daniel
Oliveira, from which the injured co-
driver Magalhaies had to be cut free
for rescue, has been rested and the car
he used in Australia is being hurriedly
re-prepared.
Less easily rectified are the injuries
for co-driver Carlos Magalhaes, who
will not be fit enough to compete. His
place is expected to be taken by 60
year-old Argentine co-driver Fernando
Mussano, seen earlier this year with
Miguel Baldoni in the Academy category
(second place in Sardinia) and earlier
with Marcos Ligato in New Zealand in
2005 when they finished third in the
PCWRC. Magalhaes hopes to be back in
action for Rally GB.
Kris Meekes car was less extensively
damaged than Olivieras although the
bodyshell itself was beyond repair.
He will be driving a new car which is
currently being completed at Prodrive.
At the BRR SWRC Skoda team, it is
expected that Timo Gottschalk, VWs
co-driver who won Dakar and who
surprisingly accompanied Sepp Wiegand
in the Academy Fiesta in France, will be
Hermann Gassners co-driver in Spain, to
replace the injured Kathi Wustenhagen.
Only a few hours before
third placed Petter Solberg
was excluded from third
place in Rallye de France,
Gaurav Gill was excluded
on the other side of the
world for a technical error
on his new Mitsubshi
Lancer Evo X R4 at the
Hokkaido APRC Rally,
after he finished second
and the highest placed
championship contender.
On the first appearance
of the R4 version Mitsubishi
car in the series, it was
found that the car was not
fitted with mandatory foam
side-impact protection
material in the door, even
though the car had the
plastic side windows which
have to be used when the
foam panels are installed.
As a result, Gills MRF
Team teammate Katsuhiko
Taguchi was the highest-
placed championship
contender in another
Mitsubishi R4. Taguchis car
was not inspected.
The events overall winner,
Toshi Arai in a Subaru
Impreza R4, was unaffected
by these problems. The
hopes of Proton, whose
drivers are aiming for the
APRC title, are unaffected.
Alister McRae (third overall
in Japan) leads teammate
Chris Atkinson (retired with
oil leak) by seven points
with one event (China) still
to run.
Gill excluded in Japan while Arai wins
Mini team changes after France
Armindo anger over crash
45
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GPWEEK PArting Shot
>>
47